The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Jessica Ann Will, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin concealed in her luggage while travelling with her three-year-old son.

The suspect was arrested on July 6 after arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. Although she initially denied checking in any luggage, NDLEA operatives linked two suitcases containing 14 blocks of heroin to her through baggage tags attached to her passport. She later admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.

According to the agency, investigations indicate she is part of a transnational drug trafficking network allegedly operated with her husband from Cambodia along the Cambodia–South Africa route.

In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested 48-year-old commercial motorcyclist Onyechere Daniel Chinadu after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa. Officers recovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed in his backpack, while 13 additional pellets were excreted during observation, bringing the total seizure to 100 wraps weighing 1.715 kilogrammes. The suspect claimed he was recruited into drug trafficking by a Uganda-based associate.

At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 8,287 bags of Canadian Loud weighing 4,143.5 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of over ₦10.3 billion. The shipment, imported from Canada, was seized following weeks of intelligence-led surveillance.

The agency also foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos courier company.

NDLEA said its commands nationwide also sustained anti-drug awareness campaigns in schools, communities and institutions under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain efforts in drug interdiction and public sensitisation.